History
History at Reignhead Primary School
Intent
Here at Reignhead Primary School, we are very passionate about history and feel it is crucial for our children to learn about the past. We believe that history allows children to develop connections, empathy and a sense of identity by widening their understanding of themselves and others. We pride ourselves on teaching a history curriculum which is real, relevant and engaging. We use a range of sources and artefacts to stimulate the curiosity of the children enabling them to ask questions, offer their own opinions and think critically. We focus on key vocabulary and key concepts so that children are also able to make significant links between their learning from previous years. History is taught at Reignhead on a half termly basis allowing children the time to deepen their knowledge, understanding, and to fully immerse themselves within a period of history. We aim for every historian leaving Reignhead to be enthusiastic and have a confident knowledge of relevant British and global history.
Through our rich history curriculum, we aim to:
- Stimulate children’s interest and curiosity about the past.
- Allow children to develop their sense of identity through making connections to our local history.
- Allow children to explore and question historical periods, significant events and people in the past.
- Allow pupils to appreciate how things have changed over time.
- Reflect on how history has impacted our lives today.
- Allow children to plan and research different historical periods by using a range of sources.
- Help connect ideas and events together in order to gain a sense of chronology.
- Help pupils develop the skills of enquiry, investigation, analysis, evaluation and problem solving.
Implementation
The subject specific endpoints are used for all children from Year 1 to Year 6. Teachers use these and the Scheme of Work document whilst planning allowing for clear progression of skills and knowledge in line with our identified key concepts. Concepts are repeated through a spiralling process throughout all year groups in order for children to make progress over the two-year cycle. History is taught during the afternoon sessions however where possible reading and writing are linked to the topic. This is especially evident with our class novels. In EYFS, children are exposed to key vocabulary and explore events within living memory in order to support the ‘Past and Present’ ELG; by the end of Foundation Stage children are able to ‘Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society; - Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class; - Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.
Knowledge Organisers are used at Reignhead from Nursery to Year 6 and are sent home the holiday before the topic begins. We believe that it is important for all children to have access to an overview of the key knowledge and language, and we ensure that they are used effectively to make links within their current learning and to prior learning.
Our history curriculum is also enhanced by opportunities for further enrichment. These include visitors such as Tempus Fugit into school as well as opportunities for children to visit places of historical significance such as Weston Park Museum (Y1/2), Eyam (Y3/4) and Kelham Island Museum (Y5/6).
Wider Impact
The study of both global and local history at Reignhead Primary school will allow our children to deepen their understanding of society and their place within in to develop a sense of their own identity. As historians children will learn moral lessons from history to influence the decisions they make in their daily lives and in their futures. The impact of our curriculum is to ensure that children know more, remember more and understand more about history. We aim to ensure that the children that leave Reignhead Primary are equipped with the passion, historical knowledge and skills that are needed for them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.
